Senior Citizens' Christmas Party 2013

On the 5th of December, Chingford Foundation School held their annual senior citizens festive Christmas party for the 25th year. A turn up of over 150 guests enjoyed the two-hour jolly and merry event.

A lot of effort and thought went into the afternoon and many of the year 10 students gave up their free time after school to make it a success. All the party food - including decorated festive biscuits, small iced cupcakes, ham and cheese pastry and cheese biscuits - was made by the year 10 Hospitality and Catering students. To raise money for this fantastic event, the staff took part in the recent lunchtime event, I’m a Teacher, Get Me Out of Here (a tongue-in-cheek spin-off of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here), which raised an astonishing £900.

Year 10s were in charge of hosting and entertaining the guests: there was bingo and a raffle, both of which offered prizes; there was a performance by the school’s talented orchestra; and two students performed three unique and delightful dances. Santa Clause (played by George Mooney) also put in an appearance, and entertained the guests.

The Christmas decorations were created by the Design and Technology and Art Departments, who used recycled material such as old magazines and scrap materials. The school hall had to be decorated on a very limited budget and this idea, supported by the Design Department, was very successful and a great idea. Many year sevens were happy enough to give up their lunch times to design and create the decorations, which impressed many of the guests.

This event was a great way to show that Christmas isn’t all about receiving expensive presents, by spending time with close friends and family and having a great time is just as fun and magical.